Employee Theft -3 wc blog 574
Training To Reduce Employee Theft-3
Want To Run A Profitable Store? Get Training To Reduce Employee Theft
When I started out as a Loss Prevention Manager I knew about employee theft from my work as a Loss Prevention Associate for another retailer. I had experience assisting in a couple of dishonest employee investigations so I knew it could be a problem. What I didn’t realize was how big a problem it could be and why training to reduce employee theft was so important for me. I mean let’s be real, I had 4 ½ years of Loss Prevention experience under my belt what was there to learn? As it turned out I went off for four weeks of training at another store in order to learn about all of the aspects of the company’s Loss Prevention program. From hiring and managing a team to learning their procedures for shoplifter apprehensions to how to initiate and investigate employees I found out there was more than I imagined.
Many readers are store owners and managers and may be thinking that this is an article for Loss Prevention Managers not for them. WAIT! Don’t stop reading! This is an article for you because you are most likely the owner of a small to medium size business and will not have a Loss Prevention department. You need to know that if you have people working for you then at some point you will have an issue with employee’s stealing from you. You have to be able to recognize theft when it transpires and know what steps to take to deal with it. Unfortunately without someone to help you learn how to identify it you could experience grievous losses before you can stop it in time. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. offers training to reduce employee theft so that you won’t be caught off guard. Through live seminars and online training sessions store managers and owners can get the information they need to take keep dishonest workers from taking advantage of them.
Providing you with some of the lessons I learned as a new Loss Prevention Manager will hopefully be helpful to you as a manager of a retail business.
• The value of employee orientations in deterring employee theft. I had never thought about it prior to my job and, to be honest, it took some time for me to see the value in it. What I learned was, by including Loss Prevention in employee orientations, expectations were clearly defined. New workers knew what was expected of them and consequences if they were caught. It was during this time we also made sure new hires understood what would be considered theft and fraud. From stealing cash and merchandise to fraudulent refunds and even time card theft, all were considered employee theft and would not be tolerated.
• Conducting Background Checks. While I did not conduct them, our company did. I learned, by working with the Human Resources department manager, how many people will get caught lying about criminal pasts. Background checks uncovered their dishonestly and prevented these people from getting hired and potentially stealing from the store.
• Prior to my training, I did not understand the importance of putting controls in place. Requiring employee bag checks at the end of a shift and receipt checks of purchases was an important tool in stopping theft.
• Not allowing employees to wear coats at a register and not permitting food or drinks while working wasn’t intended to be a punishment. Coats gave a place to hide cash or merchandise at a point of sale. Food and drinks, aside from being a distraction, were easy to steal at the register and a receipt could just be retained from an earlier purchase.
These were just a few of the lessons I learned, and I came to the job with a Loss Prevention background.
Dishonest employees can be creative in the methods they use to steal. Training to reduce employee theft is necessary if a store owner is going to be able to identify and stop theft activity. Let Loss Prevention Systems Inc. be your resource for training to ensure you keep your store operating profitably.
Employee theft is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
When I started out as a Loss Prevention Manager I knew about employee theft from my work as a Loss Prevention Associate for another retailer. I had experience assisting in a couple of dishonest employee investigations so I knew it could be a problem. What I didn’t realize was how big a problem it could be and why training to reduce employee theft was so important for me. I mean let’s be real, I had 4 ½ years of Loss Prevention experience under my belt what was there to learn? As it turned out I went off for four weeks of training at another store in order to learn about all of the aspects of the company’s Loss Prevention program. From hiring and managing a team to learning their procedures for shoplifter apprehensions to how to initiate and investigate employees I found out there was more than I imagined.
Many readers are store owners and managers and may be thinking that this is an article for Loss Prevention Managers not for them. WAIT! Don’t stop reading! This is an article for you because you are most likely the owner of a small to medium size business and will not have a Loss Prevention department. You need to know that if you have people working for you then at some point you will have an issue with employee’s stealing from you. You have to be able to recognize theft when it transpires and know what steps to take to deal with it. Unfortunately without someone to help you learn how to identify it you could experience grievous losses before you can stop it in time. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. offers training to reduce employee theft so that you won’t be caught off guard. Through live seminars and online training sessions store managers and owners can get the information they need to take keep dishonest workers from taking advantage of them.
Providing you with some of the lessons I learned as a new Loss Prevention Manager will hopefully be helpful to you as a manager of a retail business.
• The value of employee orientations in deterring employee theft. I had never thought about it prior to my job and, to be honest, it took some time for me to see the value in it. What I learned was, by including Loss Prevention in employee orientations, expectations were clearly defined. New workers knew what was expected of them and consequences if they were caught. It was during this time we also made sure new hires understood what would be considered theft and fraud. From stealing cash and merchandise to fraudulent refunds and even time card theft, all were considered employee theft and would not be tolerated.
• Conducting Background Checks. While I did not conduct them, our company did. I learned, by working with the Human Resources department manager, how many people will get caught lying about criminal pasts. Background checks uncovered their dishonestly and prevented these people from getting hired and potentially stealing from the store.
• Prior to my training, I did not understand the importance of putting controls in place. Requiring employee bag checks at the end of a shift and receipt checks of purchases was an important tool in stopping theft.
• Not allowing employees to wear coats at a register and not permitting food or drinks while working wasn’t intended to be a punishment. Coats gave a place to hide cash or merchandise at a point of sale. Food and drinks, aside from being a distraction, were easy to steal at the register and a receipt could just be retained from an earlier purchase.
These were just a few of the lessons I learned, and I came to the job with a Loss Prevention background.
Dishonest employees can be creative in the methods they use to steal. Training to reduce employee theft is necessary if a store owner is going to be able to identify and stop theft activity. Let Loss Prevention Systems Inc. be your resource for training to ensure you keep your store operating profitably.
Employee theft is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.